· The Gold Derby blog's Tom O'Neil didn't take the Dreamgirls shut-out too well, but after some deep soul-searching and spiritual communion with his higher, musical-loving power, decided the only logical explanation was that Academy members simply couldn't identify with the African American, showtune-belting experience. Or, as he puts it, "Because they can't break out of their white skins, that's why." [GoldDerby]
· For counterpoint's sake, here's New York critic David Edelstein's thoughts on the matter: "I thought Dreamgirls was thoroughly mediocre (with one song, "We Are Family," among the most eardrum-lacerating things I've ever heard), but the dis is stunning." [New York]
· Imagine hearing this on your United flight into LAX: "The women in row 23 just got nominated for an Academy Award!" Then imagine the wild applause dying down once the captain comes back on the P.A. to announce, "Sorry, folks. False alarm...unless you're a big fan of documentaries about Jesus going to summer camp or something." [Yahoo/AP]
· With this year's Best Picture nominees grossing even less than last year's crop, Ellen DeGeneres is going to have to dance until her tuxedo is soaked through if she expects audiences to show up and stay. [PopWatch]

· What—no snub love for Alec Baldwin? (We were thinking The Departed, but we're sure he was snub-worthy for his work in Running with Scissors, too.) [Little Gold Men]
· Stephen Frears had a religious moment upon hearing of his nomination: "I think it proves the existence of God. A favorable wind got behind this film and has just blown it along. It has been extraordinary." God, who's been booked up for most of the day on back-to-back conference calls with Miramax marketing, could not be reached for comment. [The Carpetbagger]